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Turkish PM Visited 1001 Inventions Exhibition

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited on Monday 16 March 2010 the exhibition 1001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in our World hosted by the Science Museum in London.

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The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited on Monday 16 March 2010 the exhibition 1001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in our World hosted by the Science Museum in London. He was accompanied by First Lady Mrs. Erdogan, Deputy Prime minister Cemil Cicek, Ministers Zafer Caglayan, Egemen Bagis and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. They were also accompanied by a large number of Turkish Businessmen.

Mr. Erdogan and his delegation came to London to meet the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other UK senior officials and to present a keynote speech at the Business Forum. During his visit, he took a tour of the recently unveiled 1001inventions. Launched on the 21st January, the landmark 1001 Inventions exhibition highlights the heritage the world has inherited from Muslim civilisation. Since its launch, the venue has been inundated with visitors and the Science Museum's Director has described their latest attraction as a "blockbuster". The exhibition is organised by the Foundation for Science, Technology and civilisation (FSTC) and sponsored by Abdul Latif Jameel Foundation.

1001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in our World employs high technology graphics and interactive displays to bring out numerous inventions which we use in our modern world that has roots in Muslim and earlier civilisations. It has proved so popular that its short run at the South Kensington venue has now been extended until the end of June 2010, after which it will go on a five year tour of major cities across the globe.

During his visit, the Prime Minister and his delegation including Mrs. Erdogan spent 70 minutes (instead of the scheduled 30 minutes) on a tour of the gallery, guided by Chairman and Founder of 1001 Inventions Professor Salim Al-Hassani and philanthropist Fady Jameel. The exhibition highlights many social, scientific and technical achievements that are credited to the Muslim world, including the Turkish region, whilst also celebrating the scientific heritage of many other cultures which influenced the Muslim world.

The free exhibition uncovers many social, scientific and technical achievements that are credited to the Muslim world, whilst also celebrating the shared scientific heritage of other cultures. It features a diverse range of exhibits, interactive displays and dramatisation – all of which acknowledge the Muslim world's contribution to many modern inventions spanning fields such as engineering, medicine and architecture.

Professor Salim TS Al-Hassani, Chairman of FSTC, explained the significance of some exhibits originally coming from Turkish history. "The gallery includes exhibits which highlight that Turkey is responsible for giving the world immunisation, suction pumps, rocket powered flight and the oldest surviving map of the Americas. The Turkish region was also home to engineering geniuses like Al-Jazari and Taqi al-Din, whose machines and mechanisms are key in plants and agricultural industries and master architects like Sinan whose influence can be seen throughout the capitals of Europe. This exhibition brings these eye-opening facts to a wider audience."

Astounding stories featured in this interactive exhibition include:

The world's first rocket powered flight, carried out by Lagari Hasan Celebi, who soared above Istanbul's Bosphorus strait in the 17th century.

A five-metre high recreation of the ‘Elephant Clock' produced in the 13th century by master engineer Al-Jazari in what is now southern Turkey.

The story of inoculation and immunization, a concept imported from Turkey.

How the gothic architecture of landmark buildings across Britain were inspired by architects like Sinan of Turkey.

Reproduction of the pistons-crank systems and suction pumps used by engineering pioneers like Taqi Al-din and Al-Jazari.

Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi, the first person to successfully fly between two continents in a glider.

Serefeddin Sabuncuoglu, invented some surgical tools and instruments and made the first surgical operations' miniatures in history.

Matrakci Nasuh made contributions in the fields of mathematics, geography, and made important miniatures about town planning. He also invented a military lawn game called "Matrak", which is a kind of animation of battle.

Turkish Hammams, as spa treatment.

How the Turkish language inspired English words like Yogurt, kirmizi and kiosk.

The 1001 Inventions exhibition runs from 21st January until 30th June 2010 at the Science Museum, South Kensington, London. Further information about the exhibition is available at the official website www.1001inventions.com.

See more photos of the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's here.